The Perfect Gift
by BonesBBLover
Summary: Scorpius' birthday is fast approaching, and Al has to find the perfect gift.


***

"Dad?" Al whined, trying in vain to pull his father's attention away from the Muggle cricket game on the tell. "Dad! You promised me you'd take me to Diagon Alley today!"

"Yes, yes," Harry replied without really hearing him, "Go ask your mother."

Albus stomped out of the room and all the way up the stairs to his room before he stomped back down and pointed his wand at the television set. "_Confringo_!" he said with a steady voice.

The television exploded into millions of shards of glass and plastic, littering the room with debris and forcing Harry to acknowledge his son. "Now why did you do that?" he asked. His voice was steady, but there was a current of annoyance laced within in.

"Because you wouldn't listen to me," the young boy held his father's gaze. "You promised me we'd go to Diagon Alley today so I can get a birthday present for Scorpius."

Harry's eyes narrowed at the name, still unhappy that his son was so close with the Malfoy boy, even after two years. It didn't bother him that Al had been sorted into Slytherin. He had expected it, in fact, which is why he had made sure to ease Al's worries before he got on the Hogwarts Express his first year. What he hadn't expected, however, was his middle child to be thick as thieves with Draco Malfoy's son.

"Ok," Harry replied, looking away first. "Go get your cloak while I clean up this mess."

A warm grin replaced the cold stare on Al's face, and Harry wondered once again if that look was something they taught in Slytherin, or if it was specifically a Malfoy trait that Al had picked up.

By the time he returned with his cloak, Harry had repaired the telly and found a pair of shoes. "Do you know what you want to get him?" he asked conversationally, hoping that they would only have to stop at one or two shops before they came back home.

"Not really," Al admitted. "I have a few ideas, but I won't know it until I see it."

Harry waited until Al looked away to roll his eyes. The boy sounded just like his mother when it came to shopping. "I suppose we should take the shopping list and get everything else we need while we're out."

"Mum would like that," Al agreed, running into the kitchen to collect the list. Within seconds he was back and ready to floo to Diagon Alley.

***

Three hours and fifteen shops later, the pair was still walking through Diagon Alley in search of the perfect gift for Scorpius. Harry was nearly finished purchasing potions ingredients and miscellaneous items on the shopping list, with a multitude of bags shrunken and neatly stowed in his pocket, leaving owl treats as the only thing left on the list.

Al, however, had not been quite so productive. He had spent nearly a half hour in Flourish and Blotts with no success, and another twenty minutes in Quality Quidditch Supplies. A cursory search of Bits n' Bobs turned up nothing of value, and Harry dragged Al away from the display at Terrortours before he got too many ideas. Even Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes could not provide the proper gift, though Harry enjoyed speaking to George while Al searched.

"About ready to call it a day?" Harry asked after they exited the deafening store into the much quieter street.

"But I didn't find a present," Al whined, looking distressed. "His birthday is tomorrow!"

"You could always order something out of one of those catalogs your mother seems to collect," Harry suggested, leading the way towards the Magical Menagerie to procure the last item on the shopping list.

Years earlier he would have gone to Eeylops Owl Emporium to purchase owl treats, but since snowy owls had been in high demand for a number of years and the shop was filled with them, he had found it very difficult to enter the shop without being overcome with grief for Hedwig. More than twenty years since her death and he still didn't own an owl of his own. If he needed to send a letter he would borrow Ginny's tawny owl or use the public post owls, but he would never again own one.

"I don't think Scorpius would want lotions that smell like banana and feet," Al remarked sarcastically, scanning the street vendors' carts as they walked by.

"You're probably right," Harry laughed as he pushed open the door of the Magical Menagerie. The sound from inside was not quite as loud as Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, but it still made both Potter's want to cover their ears.

Harry had walked straight to the owl aisle and back to the front register before realizing Al was no longer following him. A quick search of the cluttered room revealed Al squatting down next to a cage while an older witch stood nearby smiling at him.

"What'cha got there?" Harry asked, approaching the pair. Harry remembered some of the creatures sold here during his school years, and he could only imagine what might have caught Al's interest.

Al straightened up, cuddling something close to his chest before turning around to show his father. He was holding a small white kitten with orange ears and stripes down its spine. The kitten looked up at Harry with bright blue eyes and a big yawn that even Harry had to admit was precious, no matter how much he disliked cats. After dealing with Crookshanks for so many years, Harry had sworn off cats for life.

"He's perfect," Al announced, petting the kitten behind the ears. "I'll take him."

"Oh, no you don't," Harry cut in quickly. "You know the rules. No cats."

"It'll only be for one night," Al tried to reason with him.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, incredulously. "Pets live for years, especially cats." He shuddered from thinking about having a cat around the house.

"Yes, but he'll be living with Scorpius," Al reasoned, mirroring his father's confused expression.

"Oh," Harry replied, his relief obvious on his face. "Are you sure a cat is a good idea?"

"Definitely," Al announced, turning his attention back to the ball of fur in his hands. "He'll love it."

Harry contemplated asking Malfoy about his feelings on the matter before letting Al buy it, but quickly squelched the thought when he remembered Malfoy's smug expression when he heard Al had been sorted into Slytherin. No, Malfoy definitely deserved the nasty surprise of a kitten becoming the newest resident of Malfoy Manor.

"Get everything you need then," Harry announced cheerfully, offering his hands to carry assorted bowls and toys.

***

The following morning dawned early for Al, who was up before the sun rose, in preparation for the day ahead of him. While the kitten slept comfortably on his bed, Al neatly packed his trunk and school things away, making sure to check every nook and cranny for the items that had gotten scattered about his room during the summer. He would be staying with Scorpius for the rest of the holiday and would go straight to Hogwarts from there.

By the time he had carefully folded his prized possession, the Marauders Map, and placed it on top in his trunk, he could hear his mom in the kitchen starting breakfast. Scooping up the kitten, he hurried downstairs for a bit of breakfast before he was supposed to floo to Malfoy Manor.

***

Promptly at 9am Al stepped out of the floo into Malfoy Manor, dragging his trunk behind him and carrying a silver box tied with a green bow.

"Al!" Scorpius shouted excitedly, jumping up from the table to run to his friend, much to his father's disapproval.

"Did you have a good holiday? I missed you so much! What'd you get me?" the words poured out of the boy's mouth in a stream of nearly-unintelligible sentences.

"It was okay. I missed you, too. And it's a surprise," Al replied with a grin, dropping his trunk for the house elves to deal with and setting the box in Scorpius' outstretched hands. "Be careful not to shake it," he instructed as Scorpius inspected the box.

"Well open it, why don't you?" Astoria suggested, smiling at the delight on her son's face. "It's lovely to see you, Albus."

Al made a face at hearing his full name, but he quickly covered it with a genuine smile. "Thank you for having me," he replied politely. "Go ahead and open it," he urged Scorpius, pushing his friend towards the table where his parents still sat drinking their tea.

Slowly, almost reverently, Scorpius pulled the ribbon loose and lifted the lid of the box. He let out a gasp of surprise and threw himself at Al, hugging him tightly, before returning to the box to inspect the contents. Nestled in a wad of white tissue paper, the kitten was fast asleep with a shiny green bow tied around its neck. He carefully lifted the kitten free of the box to show his parents.

Scorpius was so enthralled by the kitten, which had just opened its bright blue eyes, that he didn't see the expression of amusement on his mother's face, nor did he notice the distress pouring off his father in waves.

_Cat hair_, Draco thought darkly, staring at the white ball of fluff. _Cat hair everywhere._


End file.
